Detachable top lift for lady&#39;s heel with spring loaded lock



' uly 2 1957 E. A. GRIMAUDO DETACHABLE TOP LIFT FOR LADY'S HEEL WITH SPRING LOADED LOCK Filed Oct. 5, 1965 INVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,332,158 Patented July 25, 1967 3,332,158 DETACHABLE TOP LIFT FOR LADYS HEEL WITH SPRING LOADED LOCK Emilio Antonio Grimaudo, Via Rosolino Tusa 1, Palermo, Italy Filed Oct. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 493,273 Claims priority, application Italy, Oct. 9, 1964, 700,87 6/ 64 2 Claims. (CI. 36-42) The present invention relates to a heel construction,

and more particularly to a heel construction for womens shoes in which the top lift is able to be easily detached from the heel, and thus replaced when it is worn out, without the services of a cobbler.

It is well known that, owing to the small dimensions of .the heels of womens shoes, not only does the lift wear out rapidly but also it cannot be replaced by ordinary fastening means such as nails or tacks. To avoid this difiiculty devices are known which provide for some kind of attachment for the top lift inside the body of the heel but these are generally complicated and therefore expensive. Furthermore the top lift in such examples of the prior art is not usually composed solely of the ordinary materials used for shoes such as leather or plastic, but may also contain an element in metal, thus increasing the cost of production.

The top lift according to the present invention eliminates the above mentioned inconveniences and is essentially characterised by a blind hole formed vertically in the lower part of a metal heel into which there is slidably inserted a spring-loaded catch element at one end of which there is an angled projection having the form of a hook, which engages in a corresponding projection on the upper surface of the top lift, while at the other end there is a stop pin which projects through a slot formed in the wall of the said blind hole in such a way as to engage, in the locked position, with a hole in a raisable leaf spring, this being attached firmly to the outside surface of the heel by means of a metal cover plate, and, in the release position, is retained by the lower end of the said slot so that the said catch element is not entirely ejected from the heel under the action of its spring.

It is clear therefore that the heel construction according to the present invention has clear advantages with respect to known devices in which there are difficulties in assembling and/or in dismantling the components: indeed in certain types the device itself is removed with the top lift, which makes the reassembly more diflicult. Again in some known devices the top lift itself is diflicult to construct since it must be provided with undercut channels and, in nearly all types, the heel itself is made weaker by the presence of the device so that the life of the heel and of the top lift is thereby restricted.

These, together with other advantages, which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described, reference being made to the accompanying drawing which forms a part thereof wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view, in vertical section, of the device in the released or not assembled position;

FIGURE 2 is a view, in vertical section, of the device in the assembled position with the leaf spring, shown (as a broken line), in the raised position, and as a solid line, in the closed position;

FIGURE 3 is a lateral view of the heel with the device inserted, as seen from the inside of the arch of the shoe;

FIGURE 4 is a view of the heel similar to that of FIG. 3 but with the device removed;

FIGURE 5 is a section made along the line II of FIG. 4;

FIGURE 6 shows the leaf spring retaining and cover plate, with a being a front view of the said plate, b a section along the line II-II of plate a, and c a section along the line III-III of plate a;

FIGURE 7 is a view of the heel from below, with the top lift removed;

FIGURE 8 shows the leaf spring, with a being a front View of the said spring and b a section made along the line IVIV of spring a;

FIGURE 9 shows the hooked catch element, with a being a side view and b a view from below the said element; and

FIGURE 10 illustrates the top lift, with a being a section along the line V-V of b, this latter being a plan view of the said top lift.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 1 .generally designates the top lift assembly of the present invention which is received within a vertical blind hole 2 (FIG. 5) disposed in the lower part 3, in metal, of a ladys heel. The upper part of such heel, which may be made of any material, is not illustrated.

When the device is first assembled, at the time of its construction, a compressible coil spring 4 is inserted into the blind hole 2 and then a hooked catch element, designated generally as 5, is inserted into the same hole 2 against the pressure of the spring 4. The lower, hooked end 6 of the said element 5 is shaped in such a way as to engage with a corresponding hook-shaped protuberance 7 on the top lift 8, while into the upper end 9 is introduced a pin 10 which engages in a slot 11 in the lower part of the heel 3. In order to hold the catch element 5 against the spring 4 when the device, complete with new top lift, is in the locked position, a leaf spring, designated generally as 12, is provided (FIG. 8). The said spring, which is curved slightly at one end 13, is perforated at its upper end 14 and at its lower end 15. The hole 14 is engaged by a pin 16 on the heel 3 and the hole 15 serves to engage the pin 10 of the catch element whenever a top lift is replaced. Since, as has been stated, the leaf spring 12 is curved at 13, it can be lifted (as in FIG. 2, broken lines) when the wearer wishes to remove the top lift. To retain the said leaf spring 12 firmly in contact with the heel, a retaining plate 17 is fixed by means of two holes 18 which engage on pins 19 on heel 3. In the centre of the said plate 17 there is disposed a groove 20 equivalent in width and in depth to the leaf spring 12 which holds the said spring firmly and prevents it from slipping sideways. In the lower centre of the said plate 17 there is a notch 21 into and out of which the leaf spring 12 is moved during the releasing and locking operations.

The top lift 8 is constructed in anynormal footwear material and is provided with a projection 7 which engages with the hook 6 of the catch element 5. The lift 8 is also shaped so as to have a flange or rim 22, and, when the lift is fitted to the heel, the said flange 22 surrounds the lower point of the heel 3 (as in FIG. 2) and thus ensures that there will be a very high degree of stability and also prevents unduerstrain on the attaching mechanism composed of the catch element 5, the hook 6 and the projection 7, and the pin 10' with its leaf spring 12.

It will be understood from the above description that, once the original easy assembly has been carried out, the wearer has only one action to make when one wishes to replace the top lift. Thus when the curved end 13 of the leaf spring 12 is moved away from the heel (FIG. 2), the pin 10 is disengaged from the hole 15 and the spring 4 urges down the catch element 5 until the same pin 10 is arrested by the base of the slot 11. At this stage the hook 6 will be exposed from the blind hole 2 and the worn top lift will automatically disengage. When a new top lift is engaged and vertical pressure is applied, the spring 4 will be compressed and the pin 10 will again enter the hole 14 of the spring 12.

What is claimed is:

1. In a shoe heel having a detachable top lift, co-operating means for the quick removal of and replacement of such a top lift, said co-operating means comprising, a heel portion provided in its lower end thereof with a vertically formed hole, a compression spring and a catch element slidably positioned in said hole, said catch element having an angled projection forming a hook at its lower end thereof and a stop pin at its upper end, said top lift having an angled projection on its upper surface forming a hook mating with the hook on said catch element, said stop pin projecting through a slot formed in the wall of said hole terminating adjacent the lower end of said portion, a leaf spring mounted on said heel portion and extending over said slot, a metal cover plate attaching said leaf spring to said heel portion in said mounted position, said leaf spring being provided with an opening therein engaging said stop pin when said catch element is recessed into the locked position, said stop pin engaging the lower end of said slot when said catch element is released from said leaf spring, thereby permitting replacement of said top lift and preventing complete ejection of said catch element by said compression spring.

2. A shoe heel, as claimed in claim 1, in which said top lift includes a circular flange which fits closely to the point of the said heel and thus ensures the maximum adhesion and stability.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,912,773 11/1959 Boldt 3642 3,007,261 11/1961 Soler 36-42 3,079,709 3/ 1963 Yankov 3642 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

FRANK I. COHEN, H. H. HUNTER,

Assistant Examiners. 

1. IN A SHOE HEEL HAVING A DETACHABLE TOP LIFT, CO-OPERATING MEANS FOR THE QUICK REMOVAL OF AND REPLACEMENT OF SUCH A TOP LIFT, SAID CO-OPERATING MEANS COMPRISING, A HEEL PORTION PROVIDED IN ITS LOWER END THEREOF WITH A VERTICALLY FORMED HOLE, A COMPRESSION SPRING AND A CATCH ELEMENT SLIDABLY POSITIONED IN SAID HOLE, SAID CATCH ELEMENT HAVING AN ANGLED PROJECTION FORMING A HOOK AT ITS LOWER END THEREOF AND A STOP PIN AT ITS UPPER END, SAID TOP LIFT HAVING AN ANGLED PROJECTION ON ITS UPPER SURFACE FORMING A HOOK MATING WITH THE HOOK ON SAID CATCH ELEMENT, SAID STOP PIN PROJECTING THROUGH A SLOT FORMED IN THE WALL OF SAID HOLE TERMINATING ADJACENT THE LOWER END OF SAID PORTION, A LEAF SPRING MOUNTED ON SAID HEEL PORTION AND EXTENDING OVER SAID SLOT, A METAL COVER PLATE ATTACHING SAID LEAF SPRING TO SAID HEEL PORTION IN SAID MOUNTED POSITION, SAID LEAF SPRING BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING THEREIN ENGAGING SAID STOP PIN WHEN SAID CATCH ELEMENT IS RECESSED INTO THE LOCKED POSITION, SAID STOP PIN ENGAGING THE LOWER END OF SAID SLOT WHEN SAID CATCH ELEMENT IS RELEASED FROM SAID LEAF SPRING, THEREBY PERMITTING REPLACEMENT OF SAID TOP LIFT AND PREVENTING COMPLETE EJECTION OF SAID CATCH ELEMENT BY SAID COMPRESSION SPRING. 